PLANNING FOR POLLUTION CONTROL

Environmental Economics and Policy,

AGRICULTURAL LAND USE POLICY: SOME PERSPECTIVES AND OBSERVATIONS

Land Economics/Use,

Collusion with secret price cuts: an experimental investigation

Theoretical work starting with Stigler (1964) suggests that collusion may be difficult to sustain in a repeated game with secret price cuts and demand uncertainty. Compared to equilibria in games of perfect information, trigger-strategy equilibria in this context result in lower payoffs because punishments occur along the equilibrium path. We tested the theory in a series of economic experiments. Consistent with the theory, treatments with imperfect information were less collusive than treatments with perfect information. However, in the imperfect-information treatments, players seemed to settle on the static Nash outcome rather than using trigger strategies. Players did resort to punishments for undercutting in perfect-information treatments, and this sometimes led to successful collusion afterward.

Moving wall, continuous flow electronphoresis apparatus

This invention relates generally to electrophoresis devices and more particularly to a moving wall, continuous flow device in which an electrophoresis chamber is angularly positionable with respect to the direction of moving belt walls. A frame with an electrophoresis chamber is rotatably supported between two synchronously driven belt walls. This allows the chamber to be angularly positionable with respect to the direction of belt travel, which compensates for electroosmotic flow within the electrophoresis chamber. Injection of a buffer solution via an opening and a homogenous sample stream via another opening is performed at the end of a chamber, and collection of buffer and the fractionated species particles is done by a conventional collection array at an opposite end of the chamber. Belts are driven at a rate which exactly matches the flow of buffer and sample through the chamber, which entrains the buffer to behave as a rigid electrophoretic medium, eliminating flow distortions (Poiseuille effect). Additionally, belt material for each belt is stored at one end of the device and is taken up by drive wheels at an opposite end. The novelty of this invention particularly lies in the electrophoresis chamber being angularly positionable between two moving belt walls in order to compensate for electroosmotic flow. Additionally, new belt material is continuously exposed within the chamber, minimizing flow distortion due to contamination of the belt material by the sample

Private Options to Use Public Goods: Exploiting Revealed Preferences to Estimate Environmental Benefits

We develop and apply a new method for estimating the economic benefits of an environmental amenity. The method fits within the household production framework (Becker 1965), and is based upon the notion of estimating the derived demand for a privately traded option to utilize a freely-available public good. In particular, the demand for state fishing licenses is used to infer the benefits of recreational fishing. Using panel data on state fishing license sales and prices for the continental United States over a fifteen-year period, combined with data on substitute prices and demographic variables, a license demand function is estimated with instrumental variable procedures to allow for the potential endogeneity of administered prices. The econometric results lead to estimates of the benefits of a fishing license, and subsequently to the expected benefits of a recreational fishing day. In contrast with previous studies, which have utilized travel cost or hypothetical market methods, our approach provides estimates that are directly comparable across geographic areas. Further, our results suggest that the benefits of recreational fishing days are generally less than previously estimated.

The Navy/NASA Engine Program (NNEP89): A user's manual

An engine simulation computer code called NNEP89 was written to perform 1-D steady state thermodynamic analysis of turbine engine cycles. By using a very flexible method of input, a set of standard components are connected at execution time to simulate almost any turbine engine configuration that the user could imagine. The code was used to simulate a wide range of engine cycles from turboshafts and turboprops to air turborockets and supersonic cruise variable cycle engines. Off design performance is calculated through the use of component performance maps. A chemical equilibrium model is incorporated to adequately predict chemical dissociation as well as model virtually any fuel. NNEP89 is written in standard FORTRAN77 with clear structured programming and extensive internal documentation. The standard FORTRAN77 programming allows it to be installed onto most mainframe computers and workstations without modification. The NNEP89 code was derived from the Navy/NASA Engine program (NNEP). NNEP89 provides many improvements and enhancements to the original NNEP code and incorporates features which make it easier to use for the novice user. This is a comprehensive user's guide for the NNEP89 code

Preparative electrophoresis for space

A premise of continuous flow electrophoresis is that removal of buoyance-induced thermal convection caused by axial and lateral temperature gradients results in ideal performance of these instruments in space. Although these gravity dependent phenomena disturb the rectilinear flow in the separation chamber when high voltage gradients or thick chamber are used, distortion of the injected sample stream due to electrodynamic effects cause major broadening of the separated bands. The electrophoresis separation process is simple, however flow local to the sample filament produced by the applied electric field were not considered. These electrohydrodynamic flows distort the sample stream and limit the separation. Also, electroosmosis and viscous flow combine to further distort the process. A moving wall concept is being proposed for space which will eliminate and control the disturbances. The moving wall entrains the fluid to move as a rigid body and produces a constant residence time for all samples distributed across the chamber thickness. The moving wall electrophoresis chamber can only be operated in space because there is no viscous flow in the chamber to stabilize against thermal convection

The Effects of Environmental Regulation on Technology Diffusion: The Case of Chlorine Manufacturing

We use a hazard model to estimate the effect of environmental regulation on the diffusion of membrane cell production technology in the chlorine manufacturing industry. We estimate the effect of regulation on both the adoption of the membrane technology at existing plants and on the exit of existing plants using older technologies. We find that environmental regulation did affect the diffusion of the cleaner technology in the chlorine industry. However, it did so not by encouraging the adoption of membrane cells by existing facilities, but by reducing the demand for chlorine and hence encouraging the shutdown of facilities using the environmentally inferior options.Regulation, Technological change, Environment, Hazard model

The Effects of Environmental Regulation On Technology Diffusion: The Case of Chlorine Manufacturing

We use a hazard model to estimate the effect of environmental regulation on the diffusion of membrane cell production technology in the chlorine manufacturing industry. We estimate the effect of regulation on both the adoption of the membrane technology at existing plants and on the exit of existing plants using older technologies. We find that environmental regulation did affect the diffusion of the cleaner technology in the chlorine industry. However, it did so not by encouraging the adoption of membrane cells by existing facilities, but by reducing the demand for chlorine and hence encouraging the shutdown of facilities using the environmentally inferior options.regulation, technological change, environment, hazard model

Toward a Working- Waterfront Ethic: Preserving Access to Maine’s Coastal Economy, Heritage, and Local Seafood

Maine has one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, one for which people are willing to pay a premium. But for Maine fisherman, the coast is how they access their liveli­hood. In 2002 only 25 miles of Maine’s 5,300-mile coastline supported working-waterfront access. This article discusses creative and innovative strategies to preserve Maine’s working waterfront, including current-use taxation, purchase of development rights, and community-supported fisheries (CSF)